Baby sleep: supporting and understanding it

The moment has finally arrived — your little one is here! After nine months of waiting, your dream of holding them in your arms, seeing their sweet little face and smelling their tiny neck has come true. You have lovingly prepared their room and chosen the cradle KUMI for their first months. But here's the thing. Behind this new joy lies the exhaustion of sleepless nights and a host of questions. Is my baby sleeping enough, when will they sleep through the night? These questions are perfectly legitimate — every parent asks them. Relax, Charlie Crane is here to help answer them! Together with Audrey Ndjave, nurse and founder of the Perinatal Centre, we explain everything about baby sleep.

Ideally, where should baby sleep?

Audrey Ndjave: Ideally, during the first few weeks, we share our bedroom with baby. This helps prevent sudden infant death syndrome as parents, particularly the mother, are more alert and responsive. Sleeping with your baby strengthens parenting skills and shortens night-time wake-ups by a few minutes. Furthermore, baby can hear their parents nearby and this is reassuring for them.

Which bed should you choose for the first few months?

Charlie Crane: For the first few months, it is recommended to have a cocoon bed. A compact format that will accompany you all around your home, from your bedroom to the living room for naps. Cot beds are not always recommended, particularly because children risk getting their legs or an arm caught between the bars. That is why we designed our cradle KUMI. This baby bed accompanies them during the first months of life. We designed it without bars but with a soft lace, covered with a pretty voile for optimal safety and an openness to the outside world. For naps during the first months, the bouncer LEVO is perfect. And after 6 months, you move on to the grow-with-me cot KIMI which will accompany the child up to the age of 5. Again, no bars but a lace to personalise.

What is the average sleep pattern of a baby under 6 months?

Audrey Ndjave: The rhythm depends on each person's biological clock, but as a general rule a baby under 6 months can take 3 or 4 naps a day with a longer sleep period at night. To identify your baby's rhythm, keep a sleep diary and observe your baby's waking capacities. This is the first phase of the support programme I created.

How can you best support your baby's sleep during the day and at night?

Audrey Ndjave: To properly support your baby's sleep, it is important to know them well! It is also important to have realistic expectations based on your baby's age and what they are or are not capable of doing. Furthermore, do not hesitate to call on professionals if you feel that something is hindering your baby's sleep.

Charlie Crane: Rocking is a trick as old as time. This movement reminds the baby of being in their mother's womb. The cradle KUMI has a gentle lateral rocker to recreate this comforting movement.

My baby doesn't nap or naps for a very short time — what should I do?

Audrey Ndjave: The causes of short naps are multiple. It is possible that baby is not in conditions that are favourable to sleep: sleep cycle not respected, too much stimulation, discomfort, baby's rhythm not understood.

When will my baby sleep through the night?

Audrey Ndjave: Babies already sleep through the night but with a different sleep structure. The human sleep cycle consists of alternating cycles of more or less deep wakefulness. As a result, there are at least 5 times during the night when we rise towards a state of wakefulness. In babies, coming out of this light wakefulness is explained by their emotional, neurological and emotional immaturity…

What should you do when you have a baby who sleeps very little and you are exhausted?

Audrey Ndjave: The first thing to do is to understand what is happening. How old is my baby, what period are they going through? How long has the difficulty I am experiencing been going on? Allied health professionals can help through a holistic approach to care.

How can parents catch up on their sleep?

Audrey Ndjave: It is very important not to neglect the sleep deprivation of parents and of the mother! Lack of sleep is a factor in post-partum depression. It leads to a disconnection from reality and accentuates the post-partum state, which is already a significant upheaval. You need to find help around you, build your own circle of family supporters and call on a trained healthcare professional who can support the whole family. That is what we offer at the centre!

Are we giving babies bad habits?

Audrey Ndjave: Sleep is a fundamental need. You cannot say that responding to a fundamental need is a bad habit! It is a virtuous circle built around three elements: the signal, the ritual and the reward. The repetition and regular sequence of gestures and actions lead to a reward: a state of well-being that ultimately enables a habit to be established in the baby. The signal is a behaviour that the adult will interpret and therefore respond to with a ritual that will subsequently meet a need: that of sleeping, for example. What could be described as bad habits would be a ritual that is not suited to the baby's signal — for example, deliberately letting your baby cry is a bad habit!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Ideally, during the first few weeks, sleep with your baby.
• Keeping a notebook helps to identify the baby's sleep cycles and better support them.
• Actually… babies already sleep through the night, we simply don't have the same rhythm.
• No, you will not give your baby bad habits — you are simply responding to their needs.
• Ask your family and healthcare professionals for help.
• Don't forget about yourself!
• The KUMI is an ideal cradle for baby's first months — it keeps them safe, rocks them… and it is a beautiful object.

A big thank you to Audrey Ndjave for her answers — join us on Instagram to share your parenting questions and experiences.